Bears fire Eberflus, make OC Brown interim coach
The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus, the team announced Friday, hours after he held a press conference in which he expressed confidence he would keep his job.
The Bears lost their sixth game in a row Thursday, falling to the Detroit Lions 23-20. Eberflus exits with a 14-32 record at the helm. His dismissal marks the first time in franchise history that Chicago has fired a head coach during the season.
Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take over as interim head coach.
"This morning, after meeting with (chairman) George (H. McCaskey) and (president and CEO) Kevin (Warren), we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head coaching position," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. "I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best."
The firing follows a clock management blunder that contributed to Chicago's Thanksgiving loss. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 30 seconds remaining at the Lions' 41-yard line. Instead of using a timeout, Eberflus let Williams organize the offense for a quick attempt on third down.
The rookie ultimately overthrew wide receiver Rome Odunze on the game's final play. Eberlus said afterward that he believed he handled the sequence "the right way."
Eberflus participated in a Zoom press conference Friday morning before getting fired. The 54-year-old said he was "confident" he would retain his job but noted he would meet with Warren and Poles later in the day.
"I'm just going to be working on finishing up (Thursday's) game, doing a good job of evaluating that, our after-action report like we always do," Eberflus told reporters Friday, including NFL.com's Kevin Patra.
"And then I'll be working into San Francisco. Again, those are conversations we'll have, and again, I'm confident I'll be working on to San Francisco and getting ready for that game."
The Bears have dropped four one-score games during their current losing streak. One of those defeats came on a last-second Hail Mary attempt by the Washington Commanders in which Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson taunted and celebrated with fans with his back to the ball before the Commanders scored a game-winning touchdown.
Eberflus dismissed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Nov. 12 and replaced him with Brown. Williams and the Bears' offense have struggled to remain consistent this season, ranking 22nd in EPA/play and success rate through 12 games, according to Ben Baldwin's database.
The defense has also experienced its fair share of problems. After ranking third in EPA/play through the first six weeks, the defense is 21st in that statistic since Week 7. The unit has allowed an average of 24.2 points per game over the Bears' last five contests.
Poles hired Eberflus in January 2022. Eberflus previously served as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-2021.
Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator after Waldron's dismissal. The 38-year-old served as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator last season.